Minder (TV Series) The Bengal Tiger (1979) User Reviews

The most entertaining episode so far in S1

[ArtVandelayImporterExporter · 9/10 · 16 June 2023]

From the pilot on through episode 6, Minder leaned heavily toward drama. For instance, the pilot involved armed robbery of a laundromat. Sure there were some comedy touches thrown in but you had to be really paying attention to the situation or the dialogue.

Along comes Episode 7 and we are firmly in comedy territory. Mr. Mukajee the shop owner hires Terry for protection from some hoodlums. Turns out the problem is a little bit more involved than all that.

It's basically a comedic take on arranged marriages.

Mukajee, Terry and Arthur get some quality lines to deliver. The chemistry between Arthur and Terry really starts to shine through. And as far as I can tell, we get Arthur's first reference to 'Er Indoors.

Best episode so far.

The Bengal Tiger

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 22 July 2019]

A story concerning an asian family in the 1970s or 1980s British television. It must be something to do with arranged marriages.

Comedian David Baddiel had a nifty routine on how British television dramas always fell into cultural stereotypes when it strived to be diverse. He pointed out the amount of times Black or Asian characters would go back to where they came from when written out from a soap opera even if the characters were born or raised in the UK!

Arthur decides to help out Mr Mukerjee the local newsagent who is being harrassed. Terry is not happy to be the newspaper delivery boy but soon finds out that conniving Mr Mukerjee has promised his pretty daughter to several people abroad and pocketed the dowry. One of them wants to get even but Mr Mukerjee has a plan that none of the suitable men for the arranged marriages can get through immigration.

Meanwhile his daughter Indira has fallen for a local builder. Terry and Arthur need to come up with a solution to make everyone happy.

As always, Terry gets to have a punch up with a heavy. In this occasion it is Stanley Lebor who became better known as meek Howard in Ever Decreasing Circles. Comedy is provided by regular Peter Sellers stooge Graham Stark.